Respect
for diversity and for values different from one’s own is a central value of
counseling psychology training programs. The valuing of diversity is also
consistent with the profession of psychology as mandated by the American
Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (2002) and as
discussed in the Guidelines and Principles of Programs in Professional
Psychology (APA, 2005). More recently there has been a call for counseling
psychologists to actively work and advocate for social justice and prevent
further oppression in society. Counseling psychologists provide services,
teach, and/or engage in research with or pertaining to members of social groups
that have often been devalued, viewed as deficient, or otherwise marginalized in
the larger society.

Academic training programs, internships that employ counseling psychologists and
espouse counseling values, and post-doc training programs (herein “training
programs”) in counseling psychology exist within multicultural communities that
contain people of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds; national
origins; religious, spiritual and political beliefs; physical abilities; ages;
genders; gender identities, sexual orientations, and physical appearance.
Counseling psychologists believe that training communities are enriched by
members’ openness to learning about others who are different than them as well
as acceptance of others. Internship trainers, professors, practicum supervisors
(herein “trainers”), and students and interns (herein “trainees”) agree to work
together to create training environments that are characterized by respect,
safety, and trust. Further, trainers and trainees are expected to be respectful
and supportive of all individuals, including, but not limited to clients, staff,
peers, and research participants.

Trainers recognize that no individual is completely free from all forms of bias
and prejudice. Furthermore, it is expected that each training community will
evidence a range of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Nonetheless, trainees and
trainers in counseling psychology training programs are expected to be committed
to the social values of respect for diversity, inclusion, and equity. Further,
trainees and trainers are expected to be committed to critical thinking and the
process of self-examination so that such prejudices orbiases (and the assumptions on which they are based) may be evaluated in
the light of available scientific data, standards of the profession, and
traditions of cooperation and mutual respect. Thus,trainees and trainers are asked to demonstratea genuine desire to examine their own attitudes, assumptions, behaviors,and values and to learn to work effectively with “cultural, individual,
and role differences including those based on age, gender, gender identity,
race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation,
disability, language, and socioeconomic status” (APA Ethics Code, 2002,
Principle E, p. 1063). Stated simply, both trainers and trainees are expected to
demonstrate a willingness to examine their personal values, and to acquire and
utilize professionally relevant knowledge and skills regardless of their
beliefs, attitudes, and values.

Trainers will engage trainees in a manner inclusive and respectful of their
multiple cultural identities. Trainers will examine their own biases and
prejudices in the course of their interactions with trainees so as to model and
facilitate this process for their trainees. Trainers will provide equal access,
opportunity, and encouragement for trainees inclusive of their multiple cultural
identities. Where appropriate, trainers will also model the processes of
personal introspection in which they desire trainees to engage. As such,
trainers will engage in and model appropriate self-disclosure and introspection
with their trainees. This can include discussions about personal life
experiences, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings, and personal histories.
Assuming no one is free from biases and prejudices, trainers will remain open to
appropriate challenges from trainees to their held biases and prejudices.
Trainers are committed to lifelong learning relative to multicultural
competence.

Counseling psychology training programs believe providing experiences that call
for trainees to self-disclose and personally introspect about personal life
experiences is an essential component of the training program. Specifically,
while in the program trainees will be expected to engage in self-reflection and
introspection on their attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings and personal
history. Trainees will be expected to examine and attempt to resolve any of the
above to eliminate potential negative impact on their ability to perform the
functions of a psychologist, including but not limited to providing effective
services to individuals from cultures and with beliefs different from their own
and in accordance with APA guidelines and principles.

Members
of the training community are committed to educating each other on the existence
and effects of racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, religious intolerance, and
other forms of invidious prejudice. Evidence of bias, stereotyped thinking, and
prejudicial beliefs and attitudes will not go unchallenged, even when such
behavior is rationalized as being a function of ignorance, joking, cultural
differences, or substance abuse. When these actions result in physical or
psychological abuse, harassment, intimidation, substandard psychological
services or research, or violence against persons or property, members of the
training community will intervene appropriately.

In
summary, all members of counseling psychology training communities are committed
to a training process that facilitates the development of professionally
relevant knowledge and skills focused on working effectively with all
individuals inclusive ofdemographics,
beliefs, attitudes, and values. Members agree to engage in a mutually supportive
process that examines the effects of one’s beliefs, attitudes, and values on
one’s work with all clients. Such training processes are consistent with
counseling psychology’s core values, respect for diversity and for values
similar and different from one’s own.

At Radford University,
trainees’ attitudes and behavior regarding cultural diversity (broadly defined)
will be included in part of the annual evaluation and overall review of student
competence (as described in the accompanying document). Failure to be
respectful, as determined by faculty evaluations, of diversity may result in
negative evaluations. Important documents that will be considered regarding
these issues include, but are not limited to, the following:

1This
document [up to the italicized section at the end] was endorsed by the
Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Council of
Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP), and the Society for Counseling
Psychology (SCP) in August of 2006. The joint writing team for this document
consisted of members from ACCTA, CCPTP, and SCP, including Kathleen J. Bieschke,
Ph.D., Chair, (SCP), Arnie Abels, Ph. D., (ACCTA), Eve Adams, Ph.D., (CCPTP),
Marie Miville, Ph.D., (CCPTP), and Barry Schreier, Ph.D., (ACCTA). This document
is intended to serve as a model statement for counseling psychology training
communities and we encourage sites to adapt the CPMTVSD to reflect their
particular environment. The writing team for this document would like to
acknowledge Laurie Mintz, Ph.D. and her colleagues at the University of
Missouri-Columbia; the values statement for their program served as the starting
point for the current document. Correspondence regarding this document should be
directed to Kathleen J. Bieschke, Ph.D., 306 CEDAR Building, University Park,
PA, 16802 or to
kbieschke@psu.edu. Available at
http://www.ccptp.org/trainingdirectorpage6.html

. . .

As we discuss in both the
Accreditation page and the first section of the FAQs page,
the Radford University Psy.D. Program is not yet accredited by the American
Psychological Association. If you have questions about the accreditation process
for doctoral programs in psychology, you can contact the APA via the following
means:

American Psychological Association
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation / Commission on Accreditation